Remember – every year is a new year
So it’s the New Year. The ball has dropped, the parties are all over, your Kool and the Gang album…
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2008 will be telling year for Cataloochee resort
The best news about the proposed Cataloochee Wilderness Resort is that it appears that from here on out, there will…
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Sales tax is most palatable way to meet HCC’s needs
Haywood Community College needs help, and the community that benefits from this beloved institution is going to step up. The…
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Wealthy are gaining too much political power
To the Editor: OccupyWNC, an affiliate of MovetoAmend.com, along with groups all across the United States, has worked diligently to…
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Obama was in over his head from day one
To the Editor: Election time is approaching and we are facing a promise gap. In 2008 when vice presidential candidate…
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Looking forward to our own Hunger Games
To the Editor: Have you heard the latest about our local sportsmen? Well, it’s been reported that three elk were…
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Can the dream stay alive for another generation?
“You know, this is really the only thing I know I’ve wanted to do my whole life.” That was my…
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Loving guns and badges in Maggie Valley
To the Editor: Maggie Valley must love the guns, badges and handcuffs. In fact, with Maggie Valley being only about…
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The party of tax-and-spend, really?
To the Editor: It’s election trash talking time again, and one of the things that will come up will be…
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Rhyming a solution to our political woes
To the Editor: As our government officials keep putting off a long-term solution to the debt ceiling problem, perhaps these…
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Honeydew just another of the many surprises about beekeeping
The wonderful thing about keeping bees is there are always surprises. Just when you think you’ve learned what there is…
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Thanks for the memories, thanks for being there
I loved Andy Griffith as much as it is possible to love someone you’ve actually never met. In some very…
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Reduced energy use is natural part of Euro life
We were nearing the end of our European summer vacation with three other families from Western North Carolina when we…
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A dip in the Tuck beats bee suits in this heat
I slept downstairs on a futon last night, trying to escape some of the intense heat that, chimney-like, turned the…
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We should realize value of natural resources
To the Editor: In Western North Carolina we are extremely lucky to live, work and play in a place of…
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A story everyone should read, learn from
To the Editor: We, the undersigned, are a group of Haywood County citizens that meets regularly for a respectful dialogue…
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Sometimes a walk is better than a run
For many years I was a dedicated runner. These days I’m much more likely to choose to walk, both for…
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The fleeting years of childhood give way to a strange, new world
My daughter has arrived at an impossible age — impossible for her, impossible for me, impossible for her mother, impossible…
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It’s time to reverse this regressive course North Carolina is headed down
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist My wife and I moved here from Florida because we wanted to live in…
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Noise ordinance an unjust attack on heritage
To the editor: I am writing in response to recent discussions of “Barking Dogs” in Jackson County and to…
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Barking dogs ordinance would increase burden
To the editor: Remember when we would say “Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite” as a nod…
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Barking dogs a symptom of animal welfare, social issues
To the editor: The barking ordinance that Jackson county commissioners recently said they’d support sounds at first like a…
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Hearing all the buzz about sourwood
This is a special time of the year for beekeepers in Western North Carolina. It is the time they prepare…
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Women make decisions for themselves
To the Editor: This is intended for all men: political office-holders, the religious of all faiths, and just plain “guys.” I…
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Voter ID laws should have bipartisan support
To the Editor: Election reform is needed in North Carolina. Nearly eight out of 10 North Carolina voters support Voter…
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Romney’s plan will benefit wealthy
To the Editor: Mitt Romney is saying his experience in the private sector means he can do a better job…
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No good reason for such a colorful plate debate
State senators from the mountain region — and we’re especially talking about those representing the southwest, Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin,…
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Things are as they just should be — just ask Booger
I found Booger at the Coffee Shop some 15 years ago – a tiny kitten with only one eye open,…
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Teachers get sympathy from readers, peers
You never know what subject in a column will incite readers and friends to open up and express their feelings.…
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Fight back against Alzheimer’s
To the Editor: Ask yourself, for just one day, can I match the passion and dedication of Alzheimer’s caregivers and…
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End of school year teaches some bad lessons
Each spring as the school year winds down, I can’t decide whether to laugh or cry. As preparations for end-of-year,…
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Corporations are not people
To the Editor: This letter is in direct response to Ginny Jahrmarkt’s May 30 letter titled, “Jones made wrong vote…
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Commissioner’s actions were disappointing
To the Editor: It was disappointing to read that Commissioner Mark Jones representing District 4 voted to support a resolution…
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Arrogant is the word for Sheriff Ashe
To the Editor: When I think of the word arrogant, I usually think of someone who is so intelligent or…
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Both sides scratching their own backs
To the Editor: The word austerity seems to have saturated world and national news of late, sometimes used in a…
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Time to take out the long knives
Suppose this was your household budget: • Annual family income………………....$23,400 • Money family spends annually….....$35,900 • New debt added to…
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Jones made wrong vote at last Jackson meeting
To the Editor: At the most recent Jackson County commissioner meeting at the Balsam-Willets-Ochre Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Commissioner Mark…
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Left changes it’s tune when it loses
To the Editor: According to recent letters to the editor, Christians, or anyone else, should not be allowed to vote…
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Planting is an inexact science, but here you go
Some time back I wrote that at a future date I’d print seed-starting dates for the remainder of the growing…
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Misunderstanding should not nix resolution
To the Editor: Sometimes misunderstandings can get completely out of hand. Such was the case at the last meeting of…
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North Shore Road money should not be held up
To the Editor: I commend Becky Johnson and The Smoky Mountain News for providing the facts to its readers regarding…
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Holding on to memories of our beloved Bubbie Thomas
I’ll admit that I have never been much of a cat person. It’s because I am a little selfish, I…
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Test farm helps WNC growers stay ‘ahead of the game’
You’d be hard pressed to name a state-run entity more closely aligned with the region it serves than the Mountain…
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Redefining marriage is always defeated
To the Editor: According to recent letters to the editor, Christians, or anyone else, should not be allowed to vote…
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Recognizing the enemies within
By Martin Dyckman • Guest columnist In July of 1861, Major Sullivan Ballou of Rhode Island composed a letter to…
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Welfare state has destroyed California
To the Editor: California is back in the news. Two Saturdays ago, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that the state’s budget deficit…
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A majority did not support Amendment One
To the Editor: Three letters in the May 16-22 edition of the Smoky Mountain News reflect differing views about what…
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A festival for the unassuming goat
Every small town needs a street festival, and what better excuse for one could there be than goats? This past…
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Swain residents don’t deserve another broken promise
“It’s like déjà vu all over again,” quipped the legendary Yogi Berra after watching Yankee greats Mickey Mantle and Roger…
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A GOP perspective on leadership
To the Editor: The recent letter authored by the new chairman of the Macon County Democratic Party seemed to be…
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